Ruvim Kravchuck returns kickoff 30 yards behind a wall of Cordova blockers. Photo by Rick Sloan

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - It’s always nice to finish the regular season with a victory, and that’s exactly what the Cordova Lancers did on Friday, October 27th. They beat the visiting Johnson Warriors by a score of 29-22.  Making the victory even more special, they did it on Senior Night as 17 seniors played in their last game at Lancer Stadium.      

The 17 seniors that will be graduating in May of 2024 are: #2 Jayden Ryce, #4 Michael Brown, #10 Isaiah Perez, #12 Aleksey Medvedev, #16 Diego Cisneros, #22 Noah Sloan, #26 Joseph Huckabay, #29 Jonathon Huckabay, #33 Oscar Isaac Sanchez, #40 Davit Khachatryan, #42 Khamani Williams, #44 Khallil Griffith, #45 Jabari Davis, #54 Nezziah Poole-Alston, #62 Rodrigo Gonzalez, #80 Ruvim Kravchuck and #85 Braidyn White. All the coaches had great things to say about this bunch of young men and wish them all the best as they move on to their next endeavor. 

        

As games go, it was probably one of the most exciting games I’ve ever watched. The Warriors struck pay dirt first late in the 1st quarter making it 7 to nothing as we headed into the 2nd quarter. Things weren’t going the Lancers’ way, as Johnson seemed to have the momentum on their side. As Johnson was moving the ball deep into Lancer territory, a Warrior pass fell into the arms of Kravchuck who returned the interception 46 yards back the other way.  From that point the Lancer’s rushing game took over, moving the ball successfully down to the 5-yard line where Ryce took the ball up the middle for the score. The point after touchdown (PAT) kick by Gonzalez was good, tying the score at 7.       

The ball was turned over several times by both teams until the 1:13 mark of the 2nd quarter when Johnson kicked a field goal, making the score 7-10. Elijah Wallace returned the ensuing kickoff back to the 30-yard line. Once again, some big runs by Ryce, Davis and Wallace brought the ball back to the 12-yard line. With time running out on 4th down, Cordova attempted a field goal of their own. Unfortunately the kick was blocked, and the Lancers headed into the locker room trailing 7-10.   

    

After a great halftime performance by the Big Red Marching Band and cheer squad, both teams were back on the field ready to start the second half.  Johnson kicked off to the Lancers and seemed to have an answer to every one of their plays, forcing the Lancers back deep in their own territory. On 4th and long, Gonzales punted from two yards deep in the end zone. The punt, nearly blocked, landed about 40 yards away and was misplayed by Johnson, resulting in a fumble recovery by Damajae Moses.  Several nice runs by Ryce and a nice pass reception from Ryce to Moses, and the Lancers found themselves at 1st and goal from around the 8-yard line. From there the handoff went to Davis up the middle on a bone-crushing run that ended in the end zone with a little help from the offensive line, pushing Davis from behind.  PAT was good by Gonzales, and the Lancers took the lead 14-10 at the 9:12 mark of the 3rd quarter.        

Cordova’s defense couldn’t put the reins on the Warriors, as a pass interference call hurt the Lancers and gave the Warriors a first down deep in Lancer territory. A few running plays later the Warriors went in for the score, but a bad snap on the PAT attempt caused the holder to run the ball, but he was forced out of bounds. The score late in the 3rd quarter was then 14-16 in favor of the Warriors. The ensuing kickoff was returned 30 yards by Kravchuck to around the 40-yard line. Cordova moved the ball successfully to midfield. From the 50-yard line Ryce hit Moses on a long pass that resulted in a touchdown. Davis then ran up the middle for the 2-point conversion, making the score 22-16 in favor of the Lancers with 5 seconds left in the 3rd quarter.       

The 4th quarter went back and forth with big defensive stops for both teams until Johnson got good field position on another pass interference call and ran the ball in, tying the score at 22-22 with1:32 left in the 4th quarter. They chose to go for two again, and fell short again. Cordova then had under 2 minutes to avoid going into another overtime situation like last week. Big runs by Davis, Ryce and Wallace took the ball to the Warriors 13-yard line. On 1st and 10, Davis took the handoff from Ryce and plowed his way through defenders and into the end zone for the score. PAT was good by Gonzales, and the Lancers were ahead 29-22 with 47 seconds left to play.       

There was no time to celebrate because Johnson was not ready to throw in the towel. Another pass interference call and the Warriors were knocking on our door once again with 7 seconds left in the game at around the 10-yard line. The next play, Johnson’s quarterback missed his target deep in the end zone leaving one second on the clock. With one second left, Johnson’s QB tried to hit a receiver in the corner of the end zone, but the pass was out of bounds. Cordova Wins!      

It was a great way to end head coach J.P. Dolliver’s first season at Cordova. The team, coaches and fans saw a lot of raw talent become ripe. The future of Cordova’s football prowess looks very optimistic as our J.V. team won their last 3 games and our underclassmen really stepped their game up a few notches. As we now enter the Metro League, our Lancers will find themselves facing much tougher opponents, but as history has proven, that’s what makes the Big Red bigger. Go Big Red!